Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

 Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:

• Collection

  Thoughts for the Morning Thoughts for the Evening Random Thoughts

• Month

  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• Day

  07-01 The Reason For Ceremony 07-02 If You Knew 07-03 A Vapor 07-04 “Who Is Your Friend?” 07-05 Tithing And Prosperity 07-06 “Watch Where You’re Going!” 07-07 Meek And Lowly 07-08 Ask, Seek, And Knock 07-09 Fine Or Refined? 07-10 “A Whole Meeting Just For You” 07-11 Second Opinions 07-12 Alone With God 07-13 The Point 07-14 “Any Kinda Way He Wants To” 07-15 The Only Truth 07-16 Weapons 07-17 The Reign Of Peace 07-18 The Good 07-19 Being Spiritual 07-20 Helpless Against The Flesh, Part One 07-21 Helpless Against The Flesh, Part Two 07-22 Helpless Against The Flesh, Part Three 07-23 The Prayer Of The Son 07-24 The Prayer Of The Spirit 07-25 Confessing Christ: Romans 10 07-26 God’s Gentleness 07-27 More Knowledge Than Love 07-28 “Be Like Me” 07-29 Know The Messenger 07-30 Impossible To Return 07-31 “The Seed Is In The Fruit”

 

Thought for the Evening
7-30

IMPOSSIBLE TO RETURN

“Old things are passed away.”
2Corinthians 5:17

The one baptism (Eph. 4:5) that cleanses fallen man from sin is not the baptism that washes the body; rather, it is the baptism that came “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet. 3:21); that is, the holy Ghost baptism. The water of Noah’s flood, together with the ark, separated Noah from the wicked generation in which he lived; the flood destroyed the wicked and saved the righteous. In that way, it was a figure of God’s baptism in spirit (1Pet. 3:20). The Spirit is the “water of life”(Rev. 21:6) to which Jesus calls us, and it springs up like “rivers of living water” from those who receive it (Jn. 7:38). The holy Ghost is both the ark of safety and the power that will destroy the wicked forever.

John’s watery baptism in the Jordan River was another figure of the baptism of the Spirit. This is what John meant when he proclaimed, “I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire” (Lk. 3:16).

God used Noah and John to play special parts in producing “shadows of heavenly things”. Then, when Jesus purchased our redemption and “the true light” began to shine, all such shadows, holy as they were in their time and place, passed away. In other words, after the Messiah had come, there remained no more need for the things that told us that he was coming.

In reality, it is as impossible to practice John’s baptism in water today as it would be for us to re-enter Noah’s ark. Neither of those two Old Testament shadows of heavenly things any longer exists. God’s will is the thing that made both of them shadows of Christ, and it is no longer His will that we should enter into an ark made of wood or be baptized with a baptism using earthly water. Jesus fulfilled those symbolic works that had been commanded by God, and then, God moved on. We need to move on with Him.

It is good for anyone to obey God and be baptized by the holy Spirit into Christ (Acts 5:32; Gal. 3:27). If we continue to keep His word after being cleansed by the Spirit’s baptism, God will keep us from even desiring to return to old things that have passed away. He will make us wiser than to try to return to things that no longer exist. In Christ-not in any shadow of him-is hidden all the wisdom and power and goodness of God.

=========

Brother Billy Mellick sent the following response to this TFE:

Pastor John:

I don’t think Noah would have took a swim in the flood or that John would have tried to unloose Jesus’ shoes. They were both perfectly content to be in their places.

Bro. Billy

=========

Yes, Brother Billy, and we who are children of God are happiest when we stay in our place, which is out of the shadows and walking with Jesus in the light of life.

Pastor John